I'm a new guy here, but have frequented online forums almost every day since Algore invented the Internet. I've found that each forum has its own personality, with some being so strictly managed I feel like I'm in a library or a church and others more relaxed, like sitting in a bar. My very first gun forum was the old Shooters.com, where I made many friends, some of whom have remained friends to this day. Some of us called ourselves the CTASHRs, an acronym that stood for "Crazier Than A S.H (outhouse) Rat" and came about during some pretty wild discussions that often involved a troll or two deliberately trying to mess with our heads.
I sometimes miss those the wild, untamed days, as I miss some of the strong personalities there, such as Flowerchild and Don Nelson (DonOTMW, the initials stood for "of too many words"). Don, whom we elected "mayor of Shooters.com," died not long before the forum itself passed away.
I guess I've matured a tad since those days, as I now prefer fora that are frequented by folks who clearly know whereof they speak. I don't even mind the strict enforcement on some of these sites, so long as they continue to offer valuable knowledge and expert opinions. But I also enjoy sites that are less formal. Until I stumbled across this thread, I'd found Down Range to be a site frequented by people who know what they're talking about and who express themselves in a friendly manner.
The very name of this room - Down Range Cafe - suggests a more relaxed atmosphere than, say, a room devoted to a particular type of firearm or to Second Amendment politics or other topics not as inviting of informal banter.
So I was surprised to read Rob's explanation of how he manages threads and what he expects to find in them. I don't know Rob, nor does he know me, but in the spirit of "cafe," I'll risk being seen as brash to say, "Rob, no offense, bud, but I think the coffee's getting a little cold."